Land and water motor vehicle



y 1935- r u. TEXIER DE LA CAILLERIE ,000,8 7

LAND AND WATER MOTOR VEHICLE Filed April 20, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' nvgnfior @555 TaZaZa QILZZarzZ,

y 1935- u. TEXIER DE LA CAlLLERlE LAND AND WATER MOTOR VEHICLE Filed 'April 20, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y F7 q.4.

Vsse Terz'er ah PatentadMayj, li9 35 f 1 v f LAND AND WATERMOTOR VEHICLE I Ulysse Texier de la Oaillerie, Secondigny-En- I Gatine, France Application April 20,1933, Serial N6.f667,120 In France April 20, 1932 7 Claims. (01. 115- 1) g r 'The present invention has for its object a com,- is provided a space 4 toallow the forward motion pound motor vehicle which will operate either on of the motor, members during the operation of ground or on water. i stabilization. Under the fraim'lbf thebody'iare A characteristic of this vehicleis that it has fixedtwo open .or shut sliding rails} withla semi; only 'two' wheels set on a single axle mounted'at circular shape whichactfas guides rsr tworubber 5 the centreof gravity of. the apparatus, the equi tired rollers'fi bearing the whole weight of the librium of which is maintained while running on engine 1 withzits'members. thee-age is I the ground by means of'anautomatic balance of fixed'the gasoline tank 8. f; Q t load distribution and with an automatic stabilizer, The outer shaft 9 ofjthe gear. shift 'b ilf 'eor'nes 1'0 'A trial apparatus emcee lbs. weight built by into engagement by a conical 'pinion orwoifm'll 1f the applicant and driven by a 5 horsepower gasoor a chainwith the rim geargwheelflffl which in lineengine made a number of successful demon- ,turn drives apinion l3 carriedfbya 'worm' shaft strations on'ground' and also on ponds and rivers or by an angle pinionjl l in engagement, with-a s 'it launches uponthe surface of water whatever rim gear wheel I 5.which "drivesthrough 'a' dif.- the depth may be and comes out easily; on ground ferential gear the shaftlfi of thewheelsof the 5 i it runs quickly, turns about in its own length, vehicle. The pinions l l 'andjl3 together with the and maintains perfectly its equilibrium on its rim gear whel l2rotate in a. housing I] whichin two large'wheels positionedat the centre of 'graturn is enclosed in an outer 'casing'f l8 provided vity of the apparatus. It is provided with two with an aperture and cover therefor allowing a protecting rollers at its ends, however; these angular opening rduring the-jiorward or back- 20" rollers do not touch the surface of the ground ward displacement of'the engine 1 dnfthe-slidihg while running and are only used for the prorails 5. The internal housing His jointed t'ofa V tection of the hull or body while launching onto .cupola l9 movable aroundthece'ntr'al ca'singf 20 water and coming out of water. of the bearing bridge. Theintermediaryrim The accompanying drawings show as anexgear I 2 is carried by a shaft 2| supported from. 5 ample a form of practicalernbodiment otthe the outer casingfl8'. y invention. l f 1 The assemblyof the body vis shownin detail Fig.1 is a view in elevation ofthe'apparatus in Fig. 2,. Thebody issuspended atitwo mov- V on .whichan axial longitudinal section is 'proable points or fixed. brackets 23 on. two supvidedin order to show the, driving and stabilizing porting balancing elements 24 the ends of. which, 30 members. Y r are connected to the laminated springs 25 which Fig. 2 is a detail'of the differential gear of the are attached to the stirrups 26 and trumpet-tubes bearing bridge of the apparatus. 7 1 27 01 thebearing bridge on'which is carrled the Fig; 3 shows in elevation a longitudinal-secdriving shaftlfi of the wheels 28. The rollers. 3 tional view ofthe details of the suspension de- 29 carried by the trumpet-tubes'l-l are used ja's 5' vice. V stops at the ends of. two levers for the displace- Fig. 4 is a plan view of the apparatus. 'ment of'thecentre or gravity 30 and articulated. Fig. 5 is a transverse view showing the details of around the axes 3 which arejointed to the body. the suspension device. Y On the-trumpet-tubes 2'! are fixed two adjustable 1; .40 Fig. 6 is atransverse section showing the ar-" rods-32 stopped by the springs 33fon the fittings 6.

rangement'of the braking and steeringdrums of 34 which are carried by the body. gThe levers 3L7 the bearing plates forfthe braking-and steering bear the seat for the passengers 35 together with shoes, connected by'braces to the stabilizing the backx36. i g system, y The body includesone ortwo small rubber tired Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken on the 1m1 front wheels 39 and asmall bacl; wheel ll). flfhe .4 of Fig. 6 looking in the direction indicated by one or more small wheelsifl.support the appas the arrows. I -ratus when it"is stopped or running idle ,and' are- Fig'{ 8 is a sectional View taken on the line 8 8 used toprot c 't c f o y; t e facilitate of Fig. Glooking in the-direction indicated by the alsolaunchin iri d aul n i'out'o f the'water 1. 2 arrows. Y J q pr liquid l e 7 7. i1 i" pi; 50' -As;shown Fig. 1, the apparatus includes the A The driving wheels 28 are provided with side' air piping bellows l' providing for'coolingof'the propul i n s as w iF nd radiatorlwhich is positioned onthe fore part of In" the body'a're the openings 42 allowing "the a water-tight body 3 havingicylindrical or ovoid bearing bridget spl q g h gs 9;. shamans acting a s a hul-l. Under the bellows provided with afiexible 'leathercover specially 55 shaped so as to make the body water-tight when the apparatus is running in water.

The operation of the apparatus is performed in the following manner: I

The frame of the body 3 is suspended on the lower axes 23 and held in its normal position by the ends of the levers 36 which bear against the rollers 29 of the bearing bridge. The tension of the springs 33 in relation to the fitting 34 of the frame .restoresthe bearing bridgeand also the rollers 29 which operate the levers 3D and maintain their longer arm in horizontal position. I It will be easily understood thatunder the influence of the changing load of the passengers on the seat 35, the levers 3i) react an their piyots 3i and rollers 29, and since pivot 3| is fixed to the body it applies a force against suspension point 23 of I the framewhereas the roller ZQ-applies a force against the bearing bridge. Such opposed'forces result in displacing the centre of gravity-.of the whole apparatus. This displacement is determined on' the one hand by the passenger. load and on the. other hand by the resiliencyof the tributing balancer above described, the vehicle is provided with an automatic stabilizer the operation of'which is as follows;

Theengine being put in gear, the small pinion 7 ll transmits'power to'the worm i l by means of the rim gear wheel i2 and pinion i3. The rim gear wheel 15 is thus driven and therefore also the wheels 25 of the vehicle.

If the torque applied between body and axle due to ground resistance such as braking resistance exceeds the torque applied by the driving action of the engine, the resultant is applied in the reverse, direction, that is on the part offering the lesser resistance." There is simultaneously a disturbance of equilibrium on the horizontal plane of the apparatus, and at this moment since the cupola 1 I9 is movable on the internal housing 29 and is also jointed to the lowercasing H, the casing ll is pushed forwards carrying with it the engine 1 running on'its rollers 8 on the sliding rails 5, This movement is 'more or lessrapid acCQlding to the resistance of the wheels on the ground on the one hand, and on the other hand according to the torque applied by the motor.

' This device is designed to adjust automatically the tendencies towards instability of the running apparatus owing to the reactions caused bythe variations of the surface resistance and :of the motor torque. I 7

When the apparatus is stopped, the whole of the motor weight is on the dead point on the axis of the sliding rails and, the engine can be displaced in the forward or backward direction only for a distance of about 8 up to 12 inches, according to the, weight of the motor members, the stabilizing system being adjusted in a definite manner during its manufacture.

The engine contributes by its own weight to the automatic adjustment of the centre of gravity and to maintaining horizontal equilibrium of the running apparatus on grades offrom 30 up to 40% wh ever the reactions may be. I V

The apparatus is provided with two wheels of substantialsize and having a rugged construction can easily (travel through uneven. lands, such asploughed lands, sands, downs, and also over water carriers, also in marshy grounds without any transformation or adjustment for operation.

The manner of the transmission of power and the displacement of the centre of gravity reduces substantially the sliding of the wheels on the soil of bad lands.

The steering of the vehicle is secured by the steering wheel 3'! carried by a tube in the usual way, this tubebearing at its lower part a square shaped fitting or a case including a rack fixed to the bearing bridge, and the ends of this rack areprovided with ball joints or axes attached to the metal cablesplaced under flexible sheaths 46, ii, Fig. 6, which work by the sheath buffer 48 on the small levers A9 of the cams or expanding means 5d of the brake shoes 3 which are jointed to the axes 5 i fixed to the plates 44 connected by the braces 45 to the cupola H! of the stabilizing system. It will be easily understood that when braking either by the hand lever or the foot pedal, the wheels, by means of the brake shoes i3 and the supporting axes of the shoes 5 i, will move the movable plates 44 about the ends of the trumpet-tubes of I the bearing bridge. The purpose of this is to adjust the centre of gravity of the apparatus, in accordance with variations in surface resistance caused by braking, using the engine weight as a stabilizer of the whole. Such braking stabilizes automatically and in a steady manner the equilibrium of the vehicle. This obtains for the braking caused by the steering of the apparatus and which is operated with a facility unknown in any other vehicle.

The left turning of the steering wheel brakes the left wheel and turns the vehicle to the left, and vice versa. The apparatus tends to straight.- en out its direction of movement even when the steering wheel is not under any control at all, owing to its own inertia, and to the differential gear.

The braking is secured by a hand lever and a foot pedal controlling through the medium of metal cables placed in sheaths and connecting the small levers of the cams or expanding means of the above described brake shoes.

The release of the engine is secured by a Steel cable under the flexible sheath connected to a pedal, and it is the'same for the accelerator.

The apparatus floats on water safely owing to the perfect water tightness of its body. The

steering on water is obtained by braking one of the wheels and the forward motion is produced by wings. The'apparatus turns in its own length on water or on land. 7

The weight of the tires: is substantially reduced, and the power required is about a half of w that required for thev vehicles heretofore known.

Furthermore it is practically impossible to upset the apparatus.

This apparatus has many possible applications. It can be used for light conveyance on ground and water farm tractor marine vehicle, colonial vehicle for ofiicials, either autoamphibian or not,

compressor, either amphibious or not, tank, etc.

cording to an arrangement similar to the above description. In such an embodiment, the axial parts are disengaged, and steering is obtained by throwing the coupling mechanism out of gear.

a body,

Having now described the object of this invention and in which mannersame is to be performed, what I claim is:

1. In a vehicle normally running on two wheels, a load carrying member in said body, a lever pivotally mountedon' said body and carrying said load carrying member, a main drive axle resiliently and pivotally mounted on said body, bearing means for applying pressure to said axle, said lever being mounted to applypressure on said bearing means, and resilient means opposing the relative motion of said body and said axle due to the load actuated pressure applied by said lever, whereby changes in load applied to said load carrying member automatically cause changes in the relative position of said body and said axle which increase the vehicle.

2. In a vehicle normally running on two wheels, at body, a load carrying member in said body,'a lever pivotally mounted onsaid body and carrying stability of said said load carrying member, a mainldrive axle.

resiliently and pivotally mounted on said body, bearing means for applying pressure tosaid axle,

said lever being mounted to applypres'sure' on said bearing means, resilient means opposing the rela-, tive motion of said body and said axle dueto load actuated pressure applied bysaid lever; a'system of sliding ways mounted on said body, an engine 'slidably mounted on said ways a transmission housing mounted on said axle, and adjustable means connecting said transmission housing and said engine, whereby the stability of saidlvehicle is increased.

3. In an amphibian vehicle normally running on two wheels, a water-tight body, a load carrying I member in said body, a lever pivotally mounted on said body and carrying said load carrying member, a main drive axle resiliently and pivotally mounted on said body, a pair of wheels carried by said main drive axle andprovided with .water "propulsive means, bearing means for applying pressure to said axle, said lever being mounted to apply pressure on said bearing means, and resilient means opposing the relative motion of,.said

body and said axle due to load actuated pressure applied by said lever, whereby changes in load applied to said load carrying member automatically cause changesin the relative position of said body and said axle which increase the stability of said vehicle. i

4. In an amphibian vehicle normally running on two wheels, a water-tight body, a load carrying member in said body, a lever pivotally mounted on said body and carrying said load carrying member, a main drive axle resilently and pivotally mounted on said body, a pair of wheels carried by said main drive axle and provided with water propulsive means, bearing means for applying pressure to said axle, said lever. being mounted to apply pressure on said bearing means, resilient means opposing the relative motion of said body and said axle due to load actuated pressure applied by said lever, a system of sliding ways mounted on said body, an engine slidably mount ed on said ways, a transmission housing mounted I on said axle, and adjustable means connecting said transmission housing and said engine, whereby the stability of said vehicle is increased.

5. In a vehicle normally running on two wheels,

body, a stabilizer unit comprising an articulated mechanical trans an engine, a main drive axle, a

mission system, and means for applying to said transmission system inertia forces due to the weight of said engine in opposed relation to. the forces due to the braking and steering of said vehicle, and'load distributing means for apply-g .ing between said axle and said body a turning moment determined by the load carried by said vehicle. 1.

-6. In avehicle normally running on two wheels, an engine, a main drive axle, a body, a bearing bridge, an automatic stabilizer unit comprising a curved rolling way for movement .of said engine thereon, a coupling between said engine and said bearing bridge comprising two permit relative motion of said auxiliary axles when the engine is displaced on said way, the 1 exterior one of said casingsbeing. movable along a horizontal axis and the interior one of said casings being movable'along a vertical axis, a'

worm on said vertical axis, a difierential engaging said worm to control the wheels of said vehicle,a second set'of concentric casings enclosing said differential and worm to permit said worm to follow the relative angulartmovements of saidjauxiliary .axles, and connecting means for the exterior one of said second set 'of casings forming a cupola for the steering and braking members of said vehicle, whereby the reactions caused by steering and braking of said vehicle in motion apply stabilizing forces thereto.

,7. In a vehicle normally running on two wheels, an engine, a main drive axle, a-bearing bridge, a body carried on saidbearing-bridge, an automatic stabilizer unit comprising an articulated mechanical transmission system and means forapplying to said transmission system inertia forces due to the weight of said engine in opposed relation to the forces due'to the braking and steeringof said vehicle, and a pas senger load distributing unit comprising a seat,

a lever member pivotally mounted on said body and carrying said seat, roller means-mounted'on said bearing bridge and resiliently mounted on said body, whereby, changes in' the passenger load cause corresponding changes in'theposition, 6 r

tend to increase the stability thereof; V

' ULYSSE TEXIER DE LA CAILLERIE.

of the; center of gravity of said vehicle which 

